The Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday it will begin expelling illegal immigrants from Venezuela who enter the country from the southern border to Mexico by expanding a Trump-era policy.
In addition to the new push to deport illegal immigrants from Venezuela, which comes through the Trump-era Title 42 policy, the department also unveiled a program that will enable up to 24,000 Venezuelans to get work authorizations to reside in the United States for up to two years.
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“Effective immediately, Venezuelans who enter the United States between ports of entry, without authorization, will be returned to Mexico. At the same time, the United States and Mexico are reinforcing their coordinated enforcement operations to target human smuggling organizations and bring them to justice,” the department announced.
Title 42 is a policy that was invoked during the coronavirus pandemic that effectively authorizes the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to send noncitizens pursuing asylum at ports of entry into Mexico.
New: Confirming earlier news reports, @DHSgov announced it will begin expelling Venezuelan migrants to Mexico under a new joint agreement.
The Biden admin will also launch an effort to bring up to 24K Venezuelans migrants with family ties in the U.S. through ports of entry. pic.twitter.com/1Ivw03vU9d
— Suzanne Monyak (@SuzanneMonyak) October 12, 2022
U.S. officials negotiated with Mexico over recent months to accept the Venezuelan illegal immigrants through that policy. Prior to the Wednesday announcement, Venezuelans were not part of the Title 42 expulsions because no other country was accepting them, the Hill reported.
Mexico also announced the agreement but refrained from specifying whether there is a limit on the quantity of Venezuelans it will accept as part of Title 42 expulsions.
“The migrant persons that are in Mexican territory will have to prove they entered Mexico before [Wednesday] to be able to request their orderly access to the United States. Those persons who enter Mexico after [Wednesday] will not be able to present their application from our national territory,” the Mexican Foreign Affairs Ministry said, per the Hill.
The Biden administration has been dogged by an immigration crisis at the southern border. Last month, the U.S. reached a record-breaking 2 million migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border for the fiscal year.
Republicans such as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have blasted the Biden administration’s stewardship of the border.
Coinciding with the expulsion initiative, DHS also emphasized that it was initiating a new program for Venezuelans to enter the U.S. legally. The measure is modeled after the Uniting for Ukraine program, which was intended to welcome refugees fleeing war-torn Ukraine into the U.S.
“These actions make clear that there is a lawful and orderly way for Venezuelans to enter the United States, and lawful entry is the only way,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas declared.
“Those who attempt to cross the southern border of the United States illegally will be returned to Mexico and will be ineligible for this process in the future. Those who follow the lawful process will have the opportunity to travel safely to the United States and become eligible to work here,” he added.
The DHS laid out several requirements prospective Venezuelans must meet to be eligible for the program.
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They must not have been removed from the U.S. within the past five years or embarked on authorized crossings between ports of entry after the program announcement, must not have “irregularly entered Mexico or Panama,” and are mandated to meet public health requirements.
Top officials between the U.S. and Mexico, including Mayorkas and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, are set to meet Thursday.
